I first met my friend and mentor, George Krause in 1975 at Photopia Gallery on South Street. The Philly based gallery was located in the same neighborhood where Man Ray was born and where Ray K. Metzker, also a legendary photographer and friend of George, lived by converting an old 19th century fire house into his studio. Metzker’s studio was located just around the corner from where George Krause lived for several years before relocating to Wimberly, Texas, where he currently resides with his girlfriend, the artist, Martha Gibson. Photopia was the place to see fine art photography during those days and George Krause was amongst the finest artists to exhibit at the avant-garde exhibition space. A couple of years earlier, Krause had published GEORGE KRAUSE-1, his first book of groundbreaking photographs, which became a visual bible for anyone interested in photography as a fine art at the time. Toll & Armstrong of Haverford, Pa. published the monograph with forward by Mark Power, in 1972. I have a signed copy proudly displayed of GEORGE KRAUSE – 1 in my personal library.

Before I was informed George would be visiting Philadelphia this year to install his latest exhibition, Introspective 1957 to 2017 at the University of the Arts, I had already introduced his work to my photography students at the University of Pennsylvania. In September, I assigned the class a book review of John Szarkowski’s classic, Looking at Photographs. George was selected by Szarkowski to be represented in this iconic representation of the history of photography published by the Museum of Modern Art in 1973.

Needless to say, my students were thrilled to learn that the legendary, George Krause would be visiting their class during his visit to Penn’s campus. When I showed the students the signed copy of his first book, I completely forgot that it contained personal letters. I shared with the class, that I had received letters from George during the 1970’s when we corresponded while he was working in San Miguel, Mexico or at the American Academy in Rome. I was a graduate student studying photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology where many of Georges contemporaries lectured at my graduate seminars including: Ralph Gibson, Emmet Gowin, Duane Michals, Susan Sontag and Peter Bunnell. The list would also include George Krause after he accepted an invitation that I forwarded to him on behalf of the masters program at R.I.T. We’ve stayed in touch ever since.

George was thrilled to see an exhibit of the students work at the Clutter Gallery in Addams Hall. The class had the good fortune of reading about photographic history and then to meet a living embodiment of its history made for an amazing learning experience for the students. George mentioned during his talk that it was the first time he had been asked to speak about his work by accessing his web site: www.GeorgeKrause.com. George also mentioned that he may have been the first photographer in photographic history to cut a beveled mat window to present his photographs. After his talk we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the White Dog Cafe on Penn’s campus with his girlfriend; the artist, Martha Gibson.

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George Krause: Exhibition Announcement. UArts.

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George Krause with Photography Students at UPenn. Photo: Martha Gibson.

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George Krause and Tony Ward at Introspective opening reception, UArts. March 28, 2018.